Door dovetail



Jan. 26, 1932; A, ALL 1,842,373

DOOR DOVETAIL Filed Oct. '7. I929 INVENTOR flzberi F? BczZL wilwgwwad ATTORNEYS,

Patented Jan. '26, 1932 UNITED STATES.

ALBERT P. BALL, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN DOOR DOVETAIL Application filed October 7, 1929. Serial No. 397,81d.

This invention relates to door dovetails, the principal object being the provision of the new and novel construction providing greater security for the door held thereby, and

not subject to the relatively rapid wear of conventional constructions.

One object of my invention is to provide means for holding a door when closed in its frame in such manner that it Will contribute to the strength and rigidity of the surrounding frame and vehicle body in which the frame is mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a door dovetail in which the employment of resilient material, commonly used on vehicles around door easements when conventional types of dovetails or spacers are installed, can be eliminated when my new and improved type of retainer is incorporated.

Another object is the provision of a door dovetail in which the weight of the door is carried directly to the casing of the dovetail without the interposition of resilient means.

Another object is the provision of a door dovetail permitting self-alignment of the male and female members thereof.

Another object is the provision of a door dovetail comprising a casing including a pair of slidable members adapted to receive the male member of the dovetail therebetween, the slidable members being constantly urged into contact with the male member in the direction of the movement of the male member.

Another object of my invention is to provide a door dovetail that can be permanently installed in vehicle doors at the first fitting, due to the fact that it employs no perishable material such as rubber that cannot be subjected to the excessive heat through which vehicles must pass in the process of lacquer finishing. At present when retainers or dovetails employ the use of perishable materials it is necessary to install the retainers temporarily at the first fitting, before paint. They must then be removed to prevent their perishable elements being subjected to the heat in the lacquer process and then permanently installed after. With my invention one installation is all that is necessary.

Another object is the provision of a door dovetail including a casing housing a pair of opposed members adapted to receive the male member of the dovetail between them, the slidable member-s having locking engagement with the coacting surfaces of the casing.

A further object is the provision of a door dovetail as above described in which rollers are provided between slidable members and the casing walls.

The above being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and then claimed, having the above and other objects in view.

In the accompanying drawings which show a suitable embodiment of the present invention, and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several different views;

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a door'and a door frame provided with dovetailed parts shown slightly out of engaged position.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the door dovetail, the cover member being removed from the casing for better illustration and the male member being shown in the position which it assumes at the moment of engagement with the female member.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the dovetail, part of the cover being broken away for better illustration, and illustrating the position of the male member in approximately closed door position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing how the slidable members within the easing may adjust themselves for reception of the male member when the male member is out of true aligned position with respect to the female member.

F ig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken as on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary partially broken side View of one of the slidable members, showing how the spring may be secured thereto if desired.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a slightly modified form of construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I show a dovetail comprising a housing indicated generally as at 10 formed from sheet metal in a manner customary in dovetail constructions, and provided with a pair of oppositely extending flanged portions 11. As is also customary practice, a cover plate indicated generally as at 12 is provided for the outer face of the housing 10 and is bent downwardly as at 13 to cover the open side of the housing 10, and is then bent outwardly as at 14 to form a flange disposed in a plane parallel to the main body: The cover plate 12 may be secured to the housing 11 by screws 15 or other suitable means extending through the cover 12 and threaded into openings 16 provided in the flanged portions 11 of the housing 10. The main face portion 12 of the cover and the downwardly bent portion 13 thereof are provided with aligned cooperating openings 17 and 18 respectively (see Fig. 1), coacting to provide an entrance into the casing 10 for the male member. The cover is provided with openings such as 19 through which screws such as 20 may extend to secure this part of the door dovetail to the door post 21, as indicated in Fig. 1. The male member may be of conventional construction, that is, provided with an attaching base such as 22 (see Fig. 1), and the usual wedgeshaped projection 23, and may be secured to the door 24 in the conventional manner by screws such as 25.

Within the casing 10 and disposed on either side of the openings 17 and 18 are a pair of blocks 26, preferably formed of nonyielding material such as metal. These blocks 26 are of a materially less width than the width of the casing 10, so that room is provided for a material amount of movement of the blocks 26 in the casing towards and away from the portion 13 of the cover. The upper end surface of the upper block 26 and the lower end surface of the lower block 26 is rounded off in face view as at 27, and the adjacent surfaces 28 are slightly bevelled so as to normally be complementary to the corresponding upper and lower faces of the part 23 of the male member which is adapted to be received between them. The rear or more remote faces of the blocks 26 from the surface 13 of the cover are preferably formed with a radius such as 29. Normally maintained in partially compressed condition between the surfaces 29 of the blocks 26 and the rear Wall of the casing 10 is a curved spring 30 which constantly urges the blocks 26 towards the right, as viewed in Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive.

The upper block 26 adjacent its upper edge, and the lower block 26 adjacent its lower edge, is provided with an opening 31 disposed in a plane perpendicular to the face of the blocks 26 and parallel to the upper and lower walls of the casing 10. The openings 31 intersect the curved surfaces 27 and in each of the openings 31 is received a roller 32 which projects out slightly beyond the surface 27 and bears against the corresponding wall of the casing 10. These rollers 32 provide rolling contact betweenthe blocks 26 and the end walls of the casing 10, and while it is preferable to employ these rollers, they may be eliminated without seriously affecting the desirable results obtained in this construction.

In operation, it will be apparent that the spring 30 urges the blocks 26 to the right as viewed in Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive against the wall 13 of the cover which closes the right hand side of the casing 10. When the door is shut, the portion 23 of the male member passes into the casing 10 through the openings-17 and 18 in the cover 12, and its bevelled upper and lower faces engage the bevelled faces 28 of the blocks 26. The relation of the position of the male and female members with respect to the door and door posts respectively is such that the portion 23 of the male member engages the surfaces 28 of the blocks 26 before the door has moved to fully closed position. Inasmuch as the surfaces 28 may not move outwardly away from each other as in conventional constructions, upon movement of the door towards fully closed position the portion 23 of the male'member will move from the position indicated in Fig. 2 towards the position indicated in Fig. 3, and in so moving will move the blocks 26 with it to the left as viewed in Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive, against the pressure of the spring 30. When the door is thus moved to fully closed position it will be apparent that the blocks 26 will provide a means for rigidly maintaining the portion 23 relative to the top and bottom walls of the casing 10, and thus the vertical position of the door relative to the door post is controlled through entirely rigid members instead of the usual resilient members found in conventional constructions. Thisabsolutely prevents any movement of the free edge of the door relative to the door post as may occur in conventional constructions, and accordingly eliminates the possibility of any squeaks arising because of relative vertical movement between rubbing surfaces. Furthermore, the closing movement of the door is not resisted by friction as in conventional door dovetail constructions, and this fact allows easier opening and closing of the doors.

Upon opening of the door and corresponding withdrawal of the member 23, the spring 30 will urge the blocks 26 to the right into contact with the wall 13 of the housing cover. Advantage is taken of this fact to provide means for maintaining the blocks 26 in proper position when the member 23 is removed from line therewith, so that when the blocks 26 are in contact with the wall 13 of the cover the lugs 35 are received within the recesses 36 and the blocks 26 thereby maintained in proper vertically spaced relation.

By rounding the end surfaces of the blocks 26 as at 27 the blocks may adjust themselves to properly accommodate the member 23, re-

gardless of any slight misalignment thereof. Such a condition is illustrated in Fig. 4 in which the portion 23 of the male member is shown as being slightly out of its proper horizontal plane. It will be noted that in this condition of the member 23 the blocks 26 have tilted about the axes of the rollers 32 in order to permit full contact between the bevelled surfaces 28 of the blocks 26 and the member 23, and furthermore that in thus accommodating the member 23 the upper block has moved inwardly a greater amount than the lower block. This independent movement of the two blocks 26, together with the rolling action provided by the curved end surfaces 27, permits proper support of the door without absolute alignment of the male and the female parts of the dovetail. This is of very great importance for manufacturing reasons, inasmuch as a close tolerance in the position of the partsis not required.

The spring 30 may, if desired, be secured directly to the blocks 26 instead of loosely engaging them as indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. In such case it is preferable to secure at least one end of the spring 30 to its corresponding block in the manner indicated in Fig. 6, wherein the spring 30 is provided with an elongated slot such as 40 through which a pin or other securing means 41 extends to secure the spring 30 to the block 26, the slot being elongated to permit a sliding movement of the spring relative to the block 26 during compression of the spring, rather than relying solely upon deformation of the spring 30 during such movement of the blocks.

It has been above described that it is not necessary that the rollers 32 be employed, but

that satisfactory operation ofthe device will result where such rollers are eliminated and the curved end surfaces 27 are allowed to contact directly with the ends of the casing 10.

It will also be obvious that the construction may be modified to provide a plurality of rollers for each block, instead of the single roller, as indicated in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. In such case the construction maytake the form illustrated in Fig. 7', in which the blocks 26 are provided with elongated depressions 45 adjacent the end walls of the housing 10',

and within each of which is provided a plurality of rollers 46. This construction provides a larger area of contact between the blocks 26 and the end walls of the housing 10 but eliminates to a great extent any rocking of the blocks 26 to accommodate misalignment relative to the male member 23.

A cover plate 12 is provided for this construction which is substantially the same as the cover plate for the preferred embodi ments except that the inwardly struck portions 35 are not provided thereon. Openings 19 are provided for receiving screws to secure the device to the door post. The blocks 26' are shaped to provide a tapered recess 28 in the same manner as in the preferred embodiment of the construction.

This figure also illustrates a modified form of the spring means which also serves to maintain the blocks 26' in proper spaced relationship when the member 23 is not received between them. This means is as follows: Each block is provided with an opening 47 in the rear edge thereof and with its axis parallel to the direction of movement of the blocks 26. Within each of the openings 47 is received a coil spring 48, and the springs 48 are connected together at their rear ends by a connection such as 49, which may be an extension of the wire from which the springs are made, as indicated.

From the above it will be apparent that no resilient means are depended upon, as in conventional constructions, for directly supporting any of the door Weight, and conse quently the door is rigidly tied in structurally to the door frame when the door is closed, thereby serving to increa'se the strength of the body equipped with such door frame. It

will also be apparent that there are no members which will deteriorate with age, as in conventional constructions, nor any members which may be adversely acted upon by the heat commonly employed in the finishing operations on automobile bodies or other objects on which dovetails may be employed. These features go to make up a device ideally suited for the purposes and uses which door dovetails are commonly employed for.

lVhile I show the female member of the dovetail secured to the door post, and the male member secured to the door, as in conventionalpractice, it will be apparent that the position of these parts may be reversed without changing the operationor proper functioning of the device, and the following claims are not to be interpreted as necessarily limiting the positions of the male and female members to that shown in the drawings.

These and other formal changes may be What I claim is:

1. In combination with a door and a door frame, a housing carried by said door frame, a pair of opposed rockable blocks in said housing mounted for sliding movement perpendicularly to the plane of the door opening, a projection carried by said door adapted to be engaged by said blocks when said door is closed, and spring means acting on a said blocks urging said projection away from closed door position.

2. In combination with a door and a door frame, a housing carried by said door frame, a pair of opposed blocks mounted in said housing for movement perpendicular to the lane of the door when closed, the adjacent aces of said blocks presenting a tapered recess between them, a projection carried at the free edge of said door adapted to be received between said blocks when said door is closed, said projection having surfaces complementary to the said adjacent surfaces of said blocks,-and resilient means acting on said blocks and through said projection con- 5 stantly urging said door, when closed, to-

wards open position. I

3. A door dovetail member comprising, in

, combination, a housing, a pair of non-resilient blocks mounted in said housing for parallel 'so sliding movement towards and away from one side thereof, each of said blocks being rockable about a'horizontal line perpendicular to the face of said housing, and resilient I means constantl urging said blocks towards one limit of thelr sliding movement.

4. A door dovetail member comprising, in combination, a housing, a pair of verticall aligned non-resilient blocks mounted in sai housing for sliding movement towards and 40 away from one side edge thereof, each of said blocks being rookable relative to the corresponding horizontal wall of said housing, and

spring means constantly urging said blocks towards one extremity of their sliding movement.

5. A door dovetail member comprising, in

combination, a housing, a pair of vertically aligned non-resilient blocks in said housing A mounted for parallel slidin movement to- 5 to wards and away from one side edge of said housing, a roller journaled in each ofsaid blocks bearing on the adjacent horizontal wall of said housing and providing a rockable' support therefor, and spring means constantly urgin said blocks towards one limit of their slidab e position.

.- 6. A door dovetail member comprising, in

combination, a housing, a pair of non-resilient blocks mounted in said housing for parallel sliding movement towards and away from ondgside thereof, each of said blocks being rockable about a horizontal line perpendicular to the face of said'housing, resilient means plementary interfitting portions on said housing and said blocks for holding'said blocks in spaced relation when at one limit of their slidable positions.

7 In combination with a door and a door frame, a housing carried by said door frame, a pair of opposed blocks mounted in said housing for independent sliding movement toward and away from the rear side thereof, the adjacent faces of said blocks presenting a tapered recess between them, a projection carried at the free edge of said door adapted to be received between said blocks when said door is closed, said projection having surfaces complementary to the said adjacent surfaces of said blocks, and resilient means acting on said blocks and through said projection constantly urging said door, when closed, toward open position.

8. A door dovetail member comprising a housing having a recess therein, a pair of blocks slidably mounted in said recess, the forward edges of said blocks having notches therein, guides on said housing for entering said notches to retain said blocks and yielding means interposed between the rear edges of said blocks and the rear wall of said re-' cess for urging said blocks toward the front of said recess.

9. A door dovetail member comprising, in combination, a housing, a pair of non-resilient blocks presenting a tapered recess therebetween mounted in said housing for parallel sliding movement towards and away from one side thereof in a direction tan ential to the movement of a door with which it is to be used and resilient means constantly urging said blocks towards one limit of their sliding movement.

10. In an anti-rattle device for doors, a socket member, and a wedge member adapted to be engaged therewith, said socket member comprising a casing havigg a central wedge receiving opening, oppos wed e engaging elements disposed in said casing a ove and below said opening and respectively projecting into said opening adapted to be moved laterally through engagement of said wed e member therebetween, and means adapte to prevent vertical movement -of v said wedge engaging elements within said casing.

ALBERT P. BALL.

constantly ,urging said blocks toward one limit of their sliding movement, and com- 

